Kalakala sold to Tumwater man

A Tumwater man is the new owner of Puget Sound's deteriorated vintage ferry, the Kalakala, and he says he can begin restoration work on the vessel within two months.

Thursday morning a Seattle bankruptcy judge approved the sale of the streamlined but rusting, 1930's-era ferry to developer Steve Rodrigues, 52. He said he plans to restore the vessel into a waterfront attraction, complete with restaurants, a museum and meeting space. Eventually, he said, he plans to restore its old engines so it can call on waterfront communities.

The 276-foot boat, built in Kirkland on the hull of a burned-out Bay Area ferry, operated as a ferry between Seattle and Bremerton and Port Angeles and Victoria for more than 30 years until 1967. It was then converted into a fish-processing plant and spent another 30-plus years on the Alaska waterfront before being retrieved and returned to Seattle.

A local foundation attempted a restoration but had fund-raising difficulties and eventually declared bankruptcy. The boat was sold at a Sept. 12 auction, where Rodrigues submitted the third-highest bid.

Two higher bidders were disqualified because they didn't come up with enough cash to pay their offers.

Rodrigues, a former construction engineer, has said he can move the old ferry from its current moorage to a drydock and get it ready for restoration in about 60 days. He told Steiner he has made arrangements to tow the Kalakala to a drydock once he receives Coast Guard approval. He did not say how long the restoration might take.